Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip,
where all of us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love
about this amazing TV series. I did a few spoiler free posts about the
series last year but I found that there were other bloggers out there
who were also itching to talk more freely about favourite characters and
events without spoiling things for those visiting the blog. So I
decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say
everything we want and enjoy every second of it! The topics may talk
about a death, an event, a character or be season reviews and so on.
Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!
I have to warn you that it is important
that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger
comments will be oozing and exploding spoilers all over the place. If
you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad
idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and
things are spoiled for you nor do I take responsibility for any mistakes
on the pages I link you to.
This week, I'm looking at Benjen Stark. We meet him in season one as the younger brother of Ned Stark, who joined the Night's Watch and now holds the honoured position of First Ranger, leader of the rangers who defend the Wall. He is held in high regard for his leadership and bravery and has a close relationship with Jon Snow. It seems logical to conclude that Jon's desire to join the Night's Watch comes from his admiration for Benjen and what he has achieved there. When Jon decides to join it is Benjen who escorts him there, though he discovers that his vision of the Night's Watch is different from reality.
Ned treats Jon well and has him well trained like the Stark sons but is restricted on the affection he can show because of the lie he told his wife about Jon being the result of an affair. To be too close to Jon would hurt his wife but Benjen has no such restriction in his affection and perhaps recognises that Jon could find purpose in the Night's Watch as he did. Benjen seems like the father figure that Jon needed. I very much liked his character in season one and was sad when he vanished.
After giving Jon solid advice, Benjen leads a scouting party out beyond the Wall and he vanishes. His horse comes back alone and his fate remains unknown for a long time. The other members of the ranger party are worse than dead. Their bodies are brought back to Castle Black and one rises as a wight attacking Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, who is saved by Jon. These events lead to Mormont deciding to lead a party from Castle Black to find out what happened to his men. Nothing is discovered about Benjen.
Alliser Thorne uses Jon's hope that Benjen is alive to lure him into the trap that leads to his death. Jon is told by his steward Olly that Benjen has been seen alive but it was just a ruse to get him to where the assassins are waiting to kill him. The resurrected Jon emerges as a new harder and colder man who is unlikely to fall for a similar trick in the future. It is also the end of his role as Lord Commander, freeing him to go and take back Winterfell with Sansa from the mad Ramsay Bolton.
Benjen is seen in Bran's visions, sparring with a young Hodor and witnessing him having the brutal seizure that took his ability to talk. When Bran and Meera escape the cave of the three eyed raven pursued by wights, it is Benjen who arrives on horseback to save their lives. He was attacked on his ranging mission and left to die by the White Walkers but was saved from the fate of a wight by the forest people who saved him by sticking dragonglass into his chest. He escorts them to the Wall but cannot go further as he is no longer truly alive and cannot pass.
It was great to see the return of Benjen as I just had a feeling that he was still out there because his body was never found. It was sad to know that he could not go south to be with his family again, but knowing that he was a heroic warrior, he would probably have chosen to stay and protect the Wall from wights and White Walkers. I don't think his odds of surviving long are good but he will go out fighting which is probably what he wanted anyway. I did enjoy seeing him again though his story is a touch bittersweet.
Top Ten Tuesday
is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the
Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because we are
particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love
to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your
top ten lists! http://www.brokeandbookish.com/
This week TTT is doing Top Ten Fandoms we're a part of, which doesn't interest me at all. I like stuff, I don't like stuff but I'm not into this idea of fandoms. Again I'm coming up with my own topic which took some time.
Ten TV Drama Series I am/was addicted to.
1) Game of Thrones
I started watching it for the first time in October last year (late to the party) and it didn't take long to totally love it. The casting is great, I love the range of complex characters, the battles, the betrayals, the jaw dropping moments, the gut wrenching make you cry moments...I love it! I haven't read the books yet but I'm looking forward to it. Fave character? Tyrion! Also love Dany, Jon, Varys and Jaime.
2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I loved watching this so much when it aired on TV until the BBC started messing it around and I bought the box sets instead. I was always a big vampire fan so it's no surprise that this is a favourite. What's not to love about vampires and demons in a town being hunted by a group of misfit nerds? I loved the action and the humour and the characters. My favourites were Giles, Xander and Spike though I did like Xander and Cordelia as a couple!
3) The West Wing
As my grampa was American I've always been interested in US history and politics. When I saw the first episode of The West Wing I was so hooked. One minute it would make you laugh and the next it was making you cry. The dynamic between the main cast was brilliant and the stories were excellent. I particularly enjoyed the election night episodes. Favourite characters were CJ and Leo but I loved them all really!
4) Blake's Seven
Yes the special effects were as dodgy as the 70's hairstyles but I totally loved this as a kid. I was about 6 or 7 I think and madly in love with Avon! I loved the early seasons best when Travis was hunting our heroes down, and although I liked the new characters in the later seasons, I felt that some of the episodes slid a little bit. I still have my dvd box sets though. Favourite characters were Travis, Avon and Jenna.
5) Miami Vice
I was never away from the TV when this was on as a kid! I loved the 80's music soundtrack to the series, the characters, the stories, the humour...and my favourite character dies. I had such a crush on John Diehl who played Zito and I shared the actor's frustration about his character always looking like an idiot. The two part episode where he dies shows how underused the actor was. Favourite characters were Zito and Tubbs.
6) Dallas
Yes I admit it, I loved this show and watched it every week. Who remembers the Who Shot JR cliffhanger that summer which had everyone hooked?! I loved the drama, the characters, the glitz, the backstabbing, and the Ewing BBQ where someone usually ended up in the pool! I don't think I saw the last couple of seasons but hope to rectify that. I even liked the season with the dream, sad as I am! Favourite characters were Jenna, Clayton, Afton and Bobby.
7) Prisoner Cell Block H
Another cult classic from Australia! I actually started watching it a few seasons in but soon became addicted to it. I lost track of the last few seasons when TV started messing about with it and putting it on at stupid hours like 3am. I do have all the box sets! I loved the prison riots and the murders and all that stuff. Remember Jock Stuart the mad scottish prison guard? Loved him! Favourite characters were Joan, Bea, Judy, Wally and Fletch.
8) Stargate Atlantis
I enjoyed the original Stargate SG1 until it hot season 9 anyway, but this spin-off I loved. It was a lot more in your face action with a new race against the clock crisis every week to keep you interested. I liked the main cast, the faster paced stories and the team dynamic was fun. It was my favourite of the stargate series. Favourite characters were Rodney and Carson.
9) The Tudors
Yes I know it wasn't historically accurate but I loved watching this. The casting was excellent and it really showed that the life of Henry was like a mad soap opera! JRM was excellent at capturing the mood swings of Henry and it made me want to read every Tudor book I could get my hands on, starting a whole new obsession. I'd have loved to see a series about his children as each took the throne.
10) V
I loved the original series-didn't like the bland remake personally but this series was TV gold at the time. Psycho aliens pretend to be coming to help you but instead are here to destroy you! I loved it especially as one of my favourite actors Michael Ironside was in it. It was cheesy but it was entertaining! Favourite characters were Diana, Willie, Ham and Martin.
THE OPERATORS FACE THEIR DEMONS
Mission
complete, Alpha team enjoys their first chance to breathe and tend to
their humanity. But the darkness leaves them alone with their demons -
and those who have found love may yet learn that it is fatally
incompatible with duty...
THE CARRIER FACES UNIMAGINED THREATS
The
JFK steams for Africa, despite rumors of lone Zulus still wandering
below decks. But when Dr. Park and Sarah Cameron are trapped in an
isolated compartment, they learn that one Zulu can kill you just as dead
as ten million - while up on the flight deck, a lone assassin inflicts
horrific damage on the hopes for a cure...
LONDON PREPS FOR HUMANITY'S LAST STAND
Amarie
and the Tunnelers find themselves resettled in a chillingly
post-Apocalyptic London, where mini-outbreaks are hushed up, and the
displaced will cut your throat just to take your shoes - all as
history's largest fixed fortification goes up along the M25 ring-road
around the Capital...
THE ROYAL MARINES DROP INTO HELL
Lieutenant
Jameson and his battered Royal Marines launch by air to retrieve a rare
biomedical device, which is indispensable to developing a vaccine - but
which lies buried at the center of a perilously rotting structure in a
city of millions (all dead). When the walls come down, and the horde
descends, Jameson may be the last man standing - and his only chance of
survival lies with a lone Apache pilot who refuses to obey her orders to
abandon him...
Hope survives - but the story of humanity is not yet written.
My Review:
In the aftermath of the Battle of the JFK, everyone is dealing with the
recent stress overload and the fear that zombies may still be hiding on
board. CentCom is overloaded with new outbreaks while London is falling
apart as law and order breaks down. An attempt to bring equipment and
people to help Simon ends in disaster as he battles to stay alive below
decks with Sarah, unarmed against the zombies. Alpha Team are starting
to unravel as personal issues get in the way of the mission and the
British are sent on a deadly mission into the heart of Germany.
Ali
is reconsidering her relationship with Homer while Handon's jealousy
may destroy his relationship with Sarah. Henno is losing faith in Handon
as a leader. Wesley discovers a zombie in the toilet block of the JFK
and a simple trip to the ship's stores turns into a life and death
struggle for Sarah and Simon as zombie remnants continue to spread
terror and death below decks. As the plane with Simon's supplies lands, a
lone religious extremist tries to sabotage the mission, bringing terror
to the flight deck once more. Fick's group are preparing to do a supply
run in South Africa but as they pull up towards the port, they are all
intrigued to see a Russian warship docked there.
CentCom are
tracking new outbreaks along the English south coast which threaten the
London safe zone and Charlotte finds her base deserted when she lands
after tackling zombie hordes nearby. The Tunnel survivors fear for their
safety as fights and small zombie outbreaks are hitting the capital
while Rebecca, Ainsley's widow watches fearfully from her home, unaware
yet of her husband's death or her brother Alan fighting zombies on his
Portsmouth farm. Grews helicopter has crashed in the combat zone and he
awaits help as the zombies close in
Jameson's group are sent to
quarantine in London where they are told they must insert into Germany
to get the vital equipment that Simon has lost or there is no hope of a
cure. Along with Eli, Jameson lands in Dusseldorf hoping to get in and
out of the building with the machine before the zombies notice that they
are there but it does not go to plan and Jameson faces his own
mortality trapped alone in a building swarming with zombies.
While
the pace of the book starts a little slower so everyone can recover
from the deadly battle, it does not stay that way for long. The JFK may
be on the move again thanks to Martin and The Murphy but tension is high
as personal demons threaten to open rifts in Alpha Team while they
prepare for the mission in Africa to locate Patient Zero. The action
soon starts up again as Sarah makes the decision to go to the stores
unarmed with Simon and finds that they may not live to regret her
mistake. Seriously what are you doing woman??? As the others wonder why
Simon is not there to greet the arriving scientists, hell breaks loose
on deck as a religious extremist tries to kill the new arrivals to
sabotage any chance of a cure. I had wondered if they had dealt with all
the idiots from the early books and I got my answer in dramatic style
here!
I loved the introduction of Noise, a Sikh warrior and pilot
who has flown the scientists into a war zone on the JFK. He is
seriously cool and deadly! I loved the tension of the mission in
Dusseldorf and my fear for Jameson and Eli, two of my favourite
characters, while enjoying watching Sarah and Simon in the dark bowels
of the ship trying to stay alive. Lots of tension, lots of action and
the brilliant writing of the authors made this a great follow up to the
raging battle in book five. There is nothing boring about this series!
I read these books in February but am just getting time and blog space to review them now.
Read February 2017
I review everything I read, on my blog and
on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you
don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed
it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write
a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets
catch up with these reviews from January this year.
Ella Summers-Magic Edge
Alex is a dragon born mage who conceals her power to keep herself safe,
and is a paranormal vigilante. Someone is stealing fairy orbs to use
against the magical community and she must reluctantly work with an
assassin to solve the crime.
Alex is as dumb as it gets. Instead
of stealthy investigation she starts interrogating the barman about
their orb. Despite the drink she was given by the nervous man tasting
different from usual, she scoffs it down and ends up drugged while the
orb theft takes place. Clever. She is saved by the assassin Logan who
wants them to work together on the case. Alex herself drove me nuts. She
seems to have a high opinion of herself when frankly, she is very good
at her job as her capture suggests. She is rude and bitchy to the person
who saves her life, bitching and snarling at him like a spoiled brat.
Her smart arse attitude gets old very quick for me. Then we have the
repetition. It's either the 'I have a secret' over and over or it is how
hot Logan is but she hates him really. I found it annoying and I really
hated the continual angst she displays to him all the way through.
Quite why he or anyone else wants to work with or hire this whiny idiot is beyond me!
Read January 2017.
PA Douglas-Epidemic of the Undead
Chris, his cousin and best friend are in a folk band and arrive in town
for a cancelled gig just as the zombie apocalypse starts around them.
Now they need supplies, a plan and an escape from the town.
This
was not the type of zombie book I enjoy mainly due to dumb obnoxious
characters running around like headless chickens. They run out the
coffee shop towards the car and zombies attack Mark so they instead then
run to the gas station to grab supplies. Stephanie and Chris are moving
quietly inside the gas station when Steve decide to scoff a can of
juice and a sandwich, slamming doors and caring little about his dead
friend Mark or keeping quiet to hide from zombies. Steve also finds it
funny when Chris pukes after seeing a chewed body. Can I say how much I
hate Steve? Then instead of getting to the car and out of town, Chris
decides he needs to go and kill Mark first. Stephanie now finds it funny
that Mark was a vegetarian. Why is wrong with these utter morons?
Complete idiot characters that all need to die and I hate that in a
book.
Read January 2017.
Pippa DaCosta-Wings of Hope
Muse is half elemental and half human, prisoner and slave of a cruel
master in a demon realm, that she keeps failing to escape from. When the
Prince of Greed buys her for a few days, she expects similar treatment
but he starts to tell her about other places he visited where her human
side could live and starts giving her the tools and will to break free
from her master.
It is a grim and dark tale where Muse starts to
feel hope only to have it continually taken from her but she begins to
believe that it is time to get a different kind of life, and her freedom
which will not come easy. She starts to find strength and skills that
she was too broken to discover before. I liked her character and was
intrigued by the story. I wasn't greatly keen on the Prince or her
master but I was liking the way it was written. I had planned to read on
with the series following her new human life but when I saw the usual
tropes of whiny MC and love triangle coming in book one, I decided to
give it a miss.
Read January 2017.
2.5 star.
Pippa DaCosta-Girl From Above
Jin wanted Francisca dead for stealing trade from his friends and sent
Caleb to do it. Now Caleb and Francisca have ended up locked up together
and reluctantly working to find a way out.
As a story it was ok
and there was nothing wrong with the writing or anything. I just didn't
like any of the characters I'm afraid. Both of the MCs were looking for a
way to betray the other to get a deal of some kind with Jin so each
could escape. The constant sniping between the two of them annoyed me
and I felt they should have been more cooperative with each other to
escape instead of wasting time being smart asses with each other. The
thought of that angst through a whole series put me ioff reading
anything else with these characters. Not for me.
Read January 2017.
MD Massey-Druid Blood (Junkyard Druid #0.5)
Things are going great
for Colin. He's the star of his high school baseball team, he has a
killer motorcycle, and his mom's career as an artist is finally taking
off. Then, a chance encounter with a leprechaun reveals that nothing in
his world is as it seems...
When Colin crashes his bike into a leprechaun, it breaks the glamour on Colin so he sees that the town is actually a ruin and he is still the loser he once was. An evil vampire has created the illusion to let people enjoy life so he can feed on their misery when he chooses to collapse it all. Colin, his best friend Jesse and a Gandalf style mentor are the only hope the town has to defeat the vampire. I liked the characters and though it was a simple story, it was well written and I would consider reading on to discover what Colin does in other adventures.
Sadly the next book seems to be unavailable and reviews suggest it
should be read before book one Junkyard Druid-so this is disappointing.
Read January 2017.
RL Blalock-The Darkest Days (Death & Decay #0.5)
To protect and serve. The
motto that every officer is taught from their first day in the academy.
On a humid June day in St. Louis, it is a motto that could get Officer
Wyatt Ward killed. Desperate citizens flock to the station as the
officers of the Cottleville Police Department struggle to handle the
chaos that is enveloping a city already shaken by rioting. But as
darkness descends something much worse is rising. The deranged.
Brutal, unforgiving, single-minded monsters that were once the citizens
Wyatt was sworn to protect. Now, they attack. They bite. They infect.
As fear takes hold…As the city begins to eat itself…As the world crumbles…What is a man who is sworn to protect to do as the world dies?
Officer Wyatt Ward is getting alarmed by the number of radio calls about violent incidents and calls for help by fellow officers. But while answering a call they are all told to return to the station where a large anxious crowd are gathered, seeking sanctuary. But then the screams begin as the zombies start attacking and turning the crowd...
This was a well written zombie story by an author who was new to me. It covers the utter panic as the zombies start attacking the crowd and a handful of officers try to shoot the zombies and get the panicking people into the station itself. However, not enough checks are done on the civilians and all hell is ready to break loose. It was a tense story and I very much liked the MC. Don't want to say too much about it but I am curious about what happens in the main series and already have a copy of book one.
Read January 2017.
In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.
Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers
reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is
murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn
that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with
properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a
legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of
wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless
Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their
own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe
magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death
of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by
any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing
in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a
group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive
assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a
two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph
Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical
abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected,
but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to
learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
My Review:
I
had seen a lot of mixed reviews of this book which I had already bought
so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must admit that I really enjoyed it!
Jayne
arrives in Denver as heir to her Uncle Eric's estate, the only family
member who never disowned him. Now she has become very rich, with lots
of properties and storage units to look through. Eric was also up to his
eyes in magic a demons, a talent he may have passed to Jayne. Now
Eric's team want to continue with his plan to stop evil Randolph Coin,
Eric's murderer but have only seven days to plan it.
I very much
liked the characters in this book. Jayne had the right level of doubt
about the stories she was told but seeing a talking corpse and being
attacked, she is willing to believe anything. I'm glad we didn't have
the carry on of taking half a book to convince her of the truth. She
suffers from fear and insecurity which made her more of a real character
to me and the way she flies off the handle over Aubrey's secret was a
reasonable reaction given the circumstances. She also takes time to find
her courage and her skills, which I also liked instead of just being
kickass from day one. I liked Aubrey the scientist, Midian the living
corpse, the magic Buddhist Chogyi Jake and former priest Ex who deals
now in weapons but still has a moral compass. The group dynamic is
excellent and I loved the planning sessions that the team went through
to get Coin. The introduction of Kim was also good and added a bit more
interest to the group, especially her history with Aubrey and Eric.
Jayne
and Aubrey bond on a trip to help a woman whose dog told her to call
Eric for help. A demon has possessed her boyfriend, whose own soul is
hiding in the family dog. This first field trip together almost ends in
disaster and shows Jayne how much she has to learn in the short time
before the attack. It also starts the romance between them. Anyone who
reads my reviews knows that I'm not a fan of urban fantasy romances but
this one does not dominate the plot and I think it works nicely. It is
more about the emotional side of the relationship and the chemistry that
develops between them.
The attack on Coin is the big piece of
action, with everyone having to do their part in order for it to
succeed. I thought that the way it was written was excellent, as Jayne
battles with her fear to do her part, knowing that this man killed her
uncle. I can understand her terror and suddenly things are starting to
go wrong, endangering the lives of her team. Coin is in the driving seat
now and the hunters have become the hunted, hiding in Eric's house to
stay safe. Another plan is needed but this time can Jayne follow through
and do what needs to be done? The team are starting to fall apart and
views are mixed about whether or not to go ahead. The element of
planning the second attack was just as interesting to me as the first
attempt, and the tension is continually being ramped up.
I'm not
going to say much else about the plot. It was full of action, tension,
emotion and fear, driven by the well developed characters. The bad guys
are bad, the good guys are flawed and have their issues to deal with.
Jayne is battling her own morals over her relationship with Aubrey. The
action was exciting but it was the tension of the plot as they sneaked
around doing their planning, spying and hiding that I really enjoyed. I
found it well written and fast paced, with no time to get bored. Even
the science bits didn't go over my head as they usually do!
I recommend this to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next!
